Adelaide defender James Borlase is proud of how far the Crows SANFL team has come in the past 12 months.

Borlase, in his first year at the Crows, was part of the side that finished the 2021 SANFL season eighth.

Now, in an extraordinary turnaround, Borlase will line up to face Norwood for a spot in the 2022 SANFL Grand Final.

Speaking to AFC Media, the 20-year-old said players were focused on earning an inaugural State League Grand Final berth but would be proud of their campaign regardless.

“It would mean a lot to make a Grand Final, especially from where we’ve come from last year,” Borlase said.

“We’ve played really well and consistently this year so it would mean a lot for our whole team, so hopefully we can get a win in the end.

“We were a very young team last year and most of our players were in their first year or first couple of years in the system.

“We’ve had another year to develop and Goddsy (Coach Michael Godden) has also brought in some very reliable development players who have contributed really well to our success.

“We’ve done quite well so far this year and our connection and synergy throughout the lines has been really good as well.”

Borlase has been consistent this SANFL season, lining up in 20 games, including the Qualifying Final win against Norwood and the Semi-Final loss to the Roosters.

He said battling more experienced bodies like Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty at training had helped him develop.

“I’ve been quite consistent I think this year, anchoring a spot in our full back line,” Borlase said.

“I’ve learnt a lot and developed by playing on Tex and Fog and those guys who have had a bit of AFL experience at training.

“Hopefully I can continue to show that in the finals this week.”

The Crows will be looking to bounce back from their loss against the Roosters with a win over the Redlegs.

If successful, Adelaide will advance to the SANFL Grand Final for the first time since its inception in 2014.

Borlase, who was selected via the Crows Next Generation Academy at the end of 2020, said the Crows would take confidence from their win against the Redlegs in the Qualifying Final.

“We played well against Norwood (in the Qualifying Final) so hopefully we can take a bit of form into this game and get through to a Grand Final,” Borlase said.

“We just have to play Crows footy, we’ve shown it all year, so another performance like that will get the job done.

“This is my first men’s final series, the pace and pressure is really high but it’s exciting.”

Adelaide plays Norwood at Adelaide Oval on Sunday at 2.45pm.

Tickets are available here.